Advertisement

ITV Report

20 November 2012 at 3:07pm

"Good progress" on fresh Hillsborough inquests

"Good progress" has been made on preparing an application to the High Court for new inquests into the Hillsborough disaster in which 96 Liverpool fans died and it is expected to be done next month, the Attorney General said.

Dominic Grieve QC told MPs in the Commons: "My duty is to act in the public interest of all the victims of Hillsborough and I consider that wider public interest requires a single application to be made in relation to the inquests.

"I have made good progress on preparing an application to the High Court for new inquests in these cases and I expect to make the application in December."

Mr Grieve said last month he was taking the "exceptional course" of indicating that he would apply to quash the original accidental death verdicts before finishing his review of the evidence to spare families the anxiety of further delay.

The move comes after a damning report into the disaster 23 years ago laid bare a cover-up which attempted to shift the blame for the tragedy on to its victims.

Ninety-six Liverpool supporters died in the crush at Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough stadium on April 15 1989 when their team were to meet Nottingham Forest in an FA Cup semi-final.

Mr Grieve's comments came as Conservative Graham Evans (Weaver Vale) asked what representations he had received on an inquest into the death of Hillsborough victim Kevin Williams.

His mother Anne Williams had hoped Dominic Grieve would act quickly after he promised to help her when she was diagnosed with terminal cancer.

Kevin was 15 when he died at the Sheffield stadium on 15 April 1989. The original inquest returned a verdict of accidental death, ruling that all the victims were dead by 15:15.

Anne said she had evidence that he was still alive at 16:00 and has campaigned for the cerdict to be overturned.

"As I said, I will do everything I can to take this process forward as quickly as possible, but I have to consult properly," said Mr Grieve.

Labour MP Bill Esterson (Sefton Central) stressed that Mrs Williams was "seriously ill" and urged Mr Grieve "to do all he can to grant her wish before it's too late".

Mr Grieve replied: "My application is to quash the existing inquest verdicts and if that is the case for the court to order a fresh inquest or inquests. Once I have carried out my task of presenting the case to the court, my function is in fact at an end and I obviously can't predict the timescale it would then take for the fresh inquests to take place."